Patients treated at a hospital-at-home program had lower rates of mortality and emergency department use compared to patients cared for in brick-and-mortar hospitals, a new study found.
Here are seven things to know from a May 5 JAMA Network Open study by researchers at Iowa City-based University of Iowa. The authors analyzed data from nearly 16,000 Medicare patients at hospital-at-home approved hospitals between January 2021 and December 2022.
1. In-hospital mortality was 0.4% for hospital at home vs. 3.6% for traditional inpatient care, even though the patients’ risk profiles were similar.
2. Hospital-at-home patients had fewer ED visits within 30 days, while readmission rates were similar between the two models.
3. Patients treated at home had lower ICU escalation (3.5% vs. 7.9%) and fewer hospital-associated complications (3.6% vs. 5.1%).
4. About 95% of hospital-at-home patients were discharged home, compared to roughly 73% of inpatients.
5. Total 30-day spending was modestly lower, but index hospitalization costs were slightly higher, with savings driven by lower post-discharge costs.
6. Hospital-at-home patients had a modestly longer length of stay than those treated in hospitals.
7. Just 11 hospitals accounted for about half of all hospital-at-home admissions, with most programs concentrated in urban areas in the Northeast and South.
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